Card index



Sept. 18, 1928. v I 684,620

' .s. L. FORBEQ CARD INDEX Filed June 5, 1924 .5 a 2+ 3 a ES A NVENTOR MHHHHHHIHHIHIHH[MIMIlIHllHIHIHHUHHHHIW UL TTORNEYS Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

.UNITED STATES 1,684,620 PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL L. FORBES, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE-WEB- NICKE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

, CARD INDEX.

Applitsatlbnlled June 5,

This invention relates to card index devices and particularly to the type in which a plurality of index cards are mounted in a frame or support so as to overlap one another with a marginal edge of each exposed, upon which exposed edge or margin suitable indexin information may be placed. It frequentl y happens thata single card is not sufii cient to hold all of the information which one may desire to place thereon and heretofore it has been necessary to add additional cards of the same kind and their carriers, which increased the space occupied by each account or index matter. cards often requires the displacement of the other cards and their carriers adjacent thereto so as to permit of the insertion of additional card carriers for the additional cards. An objectof this invention is to provide 20 an improved index deviceby which single cards may be utilized untiltheir capacity is exhausted and then the capacity increased without displacing or interfering with the other cards or without increasing the space occupied by any account or index matter with which the increase may-be accomplished in a simple and ra id manner by anyone, and which is relatively simple, convenient and inexpensive.

" A further object is to provide improved index cards for use in connection with such devices. Various other. objects and advantages will appear fromthe following description of an embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in' claims.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a plan of an index element con-. structed in accordance with the invention and utilizing a single card;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the same, taken substantially along the line 2-.-2 of Fig. 1; 1 V

Fig. 3 is a perspecti e of the single card which is used;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the auxiliary card which may be used for tripling the capacity of the index card;

Fig. 5 is a plan of the index element shown in Fig. 1 with the auxiliary card attached thereto for tripling the capacity of the index element; and p Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a. portion ofthe same, the section bein taken substan-- tially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

To insert such additionah 1924. Serial No. 717,922.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1-, 2 and 3, a v .card carrier strip 1 is provided with enlarged ends 2 forming guides adapted to run in guldeways (not shown) of a suitable index frame. An elongated hinge member 3 is provided along one side edge with tongues 4 wh ch are rolled to form bearings throu h Wl'llCll a pivot wire'5n1ay pass, so'that t e member 3 may pivot about the wire 5 through approx mately 180 degrees. The endsof wire 5- 5 are rigidly supported in suitable rolled bearlngs formed on strip 1. The opposite slde edges of the member 3 are turned toward one another. so as to provide flanges 6 and 7 wh ch extend toward one another from op- 7 poslte sides of the member and in different spaced planes (see Fig. 2) and thus form opposing grooves. One of the flanges 6 or 7 (for example 7) is extended further toward the ends of the member than the other flange, l5 so that the groove formed thereby between it and the face of the member 3 will extend further than the other groove.

An index card 8 is provided with one or more tongues 9 alon an edge, which tongues intermediate of the1r line of attachment to the body of the card and their opposite edge are both folded over to. provide attaching hooks orflanges 10. These tongues 9 are not coextensive with'the length of the edge 35 of the card from which they project, so that there will be spaces between the tongues, or

.at the ends thereof or both. This card is attached to the card carrier in the. manner illustrated 1n Figs. 1 and '2, by sliding the 90 turned-over flanges or hooks endwise into the grooves formed by the face of the member 3 and the flanges 6 and 7, with the tongues extendmg between the flanges 6 and 7 and theturned-over flanges or hooks 10 engaged in i one of the grooves, such as that formed by the flange or edge 7. In insertin the card, the tongues are first placed in the grooves formed by the'flange or edge 7 which extends endwise beyond the otherand then the card is slid edgewise, that is along the groove, to carry the tongues beneath the flange 6. The card will then be efiectively anchored in the carrier and is removable only by sliding it endwise' of the carrier in a manner reverse to its insertion, or byfurther movement in the same direction.

An auxiliary card 11 may be provided for increasing the capacity of the card 8, and may .be folded intermediate of its edges so as to form two leaves 12 and 13, the leaf 13 being substantially of the size of the card 8 and the leaf 12 being shorter than the leaf 13, so that when the card 8, detached from the carrier, is inserted between the leaves of the auxiliary card, the lower margin of the card 8, WhlCh carries the indexing indicia or characters, will be exposed and nothidden by the leaf 12. The auxiliary sheet is provided along the line of fold with apertures 14, which correspond in spacing along the line of fold with the length and spacing of the tongue or tongues 9 of the card 8. When the card 8 is inserted between the leaves of the auxiliary card, the tongue or tongues 9 may pass through the apertures 14 in the line of fold, so

that the tongue or tongues will extend through the apertures and'serve as a. common anchorage for the card 8 and the auxiliary card 11. This combined card device consisting of three leaves may then be inserted in the carrier in the same manner as before, the assembly being shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

It will be observed that with this arrangement, in order to increase the capacity of a card, it is merely necessary to detach it from the carrier, place one or more of the folded auxiliary cards 11 thereover with the tongue or tongues of the original card passing through the apertures of the folded cards, and the combined card device then reattached to the card carrier. The index margin will still be exposed for reference in locating the particular card or account, and at the same time, the available capacity of the card device has been materially increased. The leaves constituting this combined card device may be swung about the line of fold so as to expose the faces thereof for inspection or to enable additional information to be placed thereon. lVith this arrangement, it is unnecessary to destroy any of the index cards or carriers or to rearrange them, and additional capacity may be obtained in a simple manner and within a few moments time. The entire card device may be swung about the pivot wire 5 the sameas with the single card 8.

It will be understood that any number of the folded auxiliary cards may be secured over any original card so as to increase the capacity of the combined card device to any desired extent.- The leaves of the auxiliary cards may be of unequal length as illustrated,

but, where the index identification characters.

along the free edge are upon both faces, so as to enable one to locate any particular card with equal facility, whether the cards are turned up or down, both leaves 12 and 13 should be of the size of the shorter leaf 12, so that both faces of the index reference margin will be exposed for identification purposes.-

lVhile I have referred throughout to cards as the members to be attached to the carrier, it will be understood that by the use of the word card I do not wish to be limited strictly to the use of cardboard, which is the material most commonly used, but intend to refer by this term to any sheet or similar element which may carry any information thereon for index purposes.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, which have been herein disclosed and illustrated, in order that the nature of the invention may be made clear, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

' I claim:

1. A card index element comprising a card carrier having a groove therein, a card havmg a turned-over flange along one edge of less length than said edge, by which it is detachablysecured in the groove of. the carrier,

and a folded card embracing the first card along the flanged edge and having an aperture in the line of fold through which the flange may pass for attaching both cards to the carrier.

2. A card index element comprising a card carrier having agroove therein, a card having a turned-over flange along one edge of less length than said edge, by which it is detachably secured in the groove of the carrier, and an auxiliary card having an aperture through .which said flange may pass and anchor both cards to the carrier.

3. A card index element comprisinga card carrier having a. groove therein, a card having a turned-over flange along one edge of less length than said edge, by which it is detachably secured in the groove-0f the carrier, and a folded card embracing the first card along the flanged edge and having an aperture in the line of fold through which the flange ma y pass for attaching both cards to the carrier,

one leaf of the folded card being shorter from the line of fold to the opposite edge than the dimension of the en'ibraced card from the flanged edge to its opposite edge.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

SAMUEL L. FORBES. 

